Halloween Haunts in Arkansas December 4, 2014

Tracking the Legendary Monsters & Ghouls (as well as the less scary goblins too) of Arkansas…

Halloween has a special place in my heart because it was also my grandmother’s birthday. Every year my mother would throw a party in her honor with Halloween decorations, fall foods like chili, costumes plus trick-or-treating. Although my grandmother has passed I still carry on that tradition at the farm each Halloween with the preparations being made far in advance. In my book Halloween is the best party of the season!

There is a ghost story that goes with the farm so Halloween parties there are extra spooky! Legend has it that in 1819 Thomas Nuttall, the English Naturalist, came to Moss Mountain by three flatboats moving west on the Arkansas River. His party and the crew, made camp on Beaver Island, the large island in the middle of the river, visible from my Garden Home. Perhaps lulled into a sense of security because they were on an island, the night watchmen fell into a deep slumber.

During the wee hours of October 31, 1819, all were murdered except for Nuttall and four of his crew. It seems that the others were massacred by wild animals; however Nuttall swore that he himself saw actual human forms…

Each year the ghouls come up from the river; presumably the spirits of those who met their end on that isle. Now long gone, these ghosts return for their anniversary walk among my guests during Halloween festivities.

Haunted Arkansas Happenings

Moss Mountain Farm isn’t the only haunted place in Arkansas. It’s FRIGHTENING how many ghoulishly great Halloween events there are in Arkansas this year! I am bewitched by all of the options. Whether you’re brave enough to go on a ghostly tour, fearless enough to face fiends, or bold enough to seek out the source of ominous lights, Arkansas has Halloween events throughout October to keep you busy all month!
There’s something for every age group – and for every fear factor on the old scare’ometer!!

Halloween Event Calendar!

Creepy and spooky, mysterious and ooky describes a variety of eerie festivals, corn mazes, scary places and haunted houses going on in Arkansas during October.
If you would like to see the full details of all of the festival events and other frights, please go now to http://www.arkansas.com/things-to-do/haunted-arkansas/events/ … before it’s too late!

Poltergeist!

Reports of apparitions in the 1886 Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas have given the hotel a national reputation of being “occupied.” Sightings of the dearly departed are now so much a part of the hotel’s legacy that daily ghost-spotting tours are offered. In fact, the Crescent’s sister hotel, the 1905 Basin Park, is also a favorite haunt for restless spirits; nightly ghost tours are offered here as well, if you dare. Beat the mob! Head out soon. But whatever you do, don’t split up…

Paranormal Activity!

Forrest City’s 1906 Rush-Gates House has had its share of bizarre occurrences. Now home to the St. Francis County Museum, every Halloween the organization hosts its version of “A Night at the Museum” tours for Halloween. Check www.SFCMuseum.org for scheduling information.

Come on this walking tour of the historic, infamous, eerie and macabre at Monticello’s Allen House. This impressive 1906 spooky structure has its own set of frightening tales stemming from the tragic suicide of socialite Ladell Allen. According to BestandWorst.com, the home is “America’s Most Haunted (House)!” Although a private residence, the owners offer tours by appointment year-round, and especially in October. Visit www.AllenHouseTours.com for details. Just don’t look under the beds…

Come Into the Light…

Are you afraid of the dark?? If not, you may be ready to stand up to the terrors in along the railroad tracks in Gurdon and Crossett, Arkansas. Other worldly lights glow at night mimicking the sway of a lantern. Many say the lights are spirits of railway workers decapitated by trains out searching for their missing heads. Face your deepest fears and you be the judge. Gurdon is about 75 miles south of Little Rock on I-30, just east of the interstate and Highway 67. Crossett is in southeastern Arkansas close to the Louisiana border. Anyone in either town can tell you where to look. It’s best to go on nights that are overcast and especially dark.

Phantom of the King Opera House!

The historic King Opera House in Van Buren has been adopted by the restless ghost of a young actor who “departed” at the train depot a few blocks away. Legend says he was acting at the theater when he fell in love with a local doctor’s daughter. The couple was caught on their way out of town to get married and the actor was beaten to death with a whip. It’s been said that the spirit of the actor has taken up residence at the King Opera House because, according to some supernatural experts, “ghosts have a tendency to drift back to where or what anchored them to earth.” When you are at the restored theater look for a shadowy figure dressed in top hat, Victorian frock coat and cape. Contact the King Opera House at www.vanburen.org for the rumblings there.

Ghost Town!

This month forget about that strange sound in the attic, get out of the house and head straight to Calico Rock, Arkansas to see the Peppersauce Ghost Town. Named after the moonshine served in rowdy taverns during the late 19th and early 20th centuries all that’s left of this river town is a few blocks of abandon buildings in various states of decay. What better place for spirits to call home? You can find Peppersauce on the east side of Calico Rock on the banks of the White River.

Monsters Inc.!

Come face to face with your deepest fears hunting two of Arkansas’ most terrifying beasts. Try spying the White River creature or the elusive Fouke Monster, both notorious in Arkansas folklore. Beware, the Fouke Monster disturbs the swampy Sulphur River bottoms in the timberlands of Miller County and the White River Creature has been spotted near Towhead Island on the White River.